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In loving memory of the love of my life: Asia (31/12/2000 – 19/01/2019)

In memoria dell’amore della mia vita: Asia (31/12/2000 – 19/01/2019)

This article was almost written when she started feeling too bad. I’m gonna live it as it was, I just want to let you know that I’ll take some time off to start writing with the happiness that you all deserve. Thank you for understanding, xx.

We woke up late and relaxed, cause you know, Ubud wants you to slow down. We took breakfast at the hotel, that has à la carte breakfast, and we stayed in the sun till it was time for the shuttle to take us to the centre. There we visited the Puri Lukisan museum, that exhibits local art. I admit I didn’t know much on that topic before going, too bad I still don’t, cause the museum doesn’t explain that much. The outside and the garden by the way are superstunning! There are more museum in Ubud, the problem is that they are not in the centre and if you don’t have a personal vehicle it’s quite hard to get there for three reasons: the distance, the fact that it’s superhot outside and not less important Ubud is surruonded by the jungle so it’s not that uncommon to find big snakes on your way.

We loved Coffee Cartel that much that when we woke up on day 11 we wanted to go back having breakfast there. We called a grab and we went. Since lunch wasn’t planned that day we decided to have a huge breakfast both salty and sweet to compensate. We also did a little shopping in the store they have inside, do you know that they help with it the dogs of Bali?

Day 10 started jumping on a grab that took us at Coffee Cartel. We’ve heard a lot about this place that makes huge and instagrammable breakfast and we couldn’t miss it. I tried the famous pink beetroot cappuccino and Ila the matcha one, paired with a chocolate brownie and huge fresh fruit bowls that are something so impossible to find in Italy! Everything was so good and it was the perfect way to start the morning!

Another morning at Puri Saron hotel means another morning where you don’t know what to choose for breakfast between all those yummy choices they have! After breakfast we found guide number 4, Made, that took us on the Eat, Pray and Love tour, a tour (with a new driver of course) to know more closely Bali traditions. The first step was the hindu temple (the majority of the population in Bali its Hindu) of Pura Luhur Batukaru, in the middle of the tropical forest, on the mountains. Since we made the purification and we carried offers (well Made carried for us) and we wore the typical balinese costume, we were able to attend the actual ‘mass’ where tourists are normally not admitted. This allowed us to visit the entire temple, normally tourist can see only the first part of it, and I can say that the faith of this people, celebrated with tiny offers like flowers or candies, in such a beautiful open spot moved me.

We were supposed to wake up at 3 AM. Too bad we didn’t. Luckily Banyuwangi is full of mosques so at 3.50 they started singing and we woke up realizing the alarm didn’t ring. In fifteen minutes we washed ourselvs, got ready, close the luggages and went down for checkout that was supposed to be at 4 AM. Our guide and a new driver were already waiting for us in the hall. We got our breakfast boxes to eat while going in the car and left our luggages in the hotel deposit. Our trip for the day was Kawah Ijen, a volcano. Inside its crater lies the biggest acid lake in the world, basically it’s not water but sulfuric acid. All around sulfur is extracted by workers. Normally you go up in early morning to avoid the fog that forms around noon. This paired with Gardens by the Bay was the reason that took me on the other side of the world. Now, if you know me or if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you also know that I’m used to spend summer in the mountains, so I’m not afraid of hiking, and I rarely get tired. Well here was different: forget the fresh air of the Alpes and change it for the humidity of the Padana plain, add sulfur vapors and complete it all with a guide that literally runs instead of walking. If you want add the fact that I normally climb surrounded by trees and here, on one side, I had the complete nothing. This for a couple hours till you reach the top and of course to go back. But God if it was worth it! Pictures, videos, are not enough to explain what we saw with our own eyes, probably not even words. You arrive at the top of it, tired, with mostly no breathe and with your throat burning and you are in this moonscape, completely yellow for the sulfur, surrounded by huge clouds that come and go and in front of you a crater with a lake inside that it’s another level of blue. I was so proud of myself and of what I did and at the same time I wasn’t believing it! I completely realized it when I was in the car back to the hotel and I was about to cry! If you’re brave enough and most of all trained I advice you this trip more than anyhting! I’m so happy I was able to organize it even if I’m pretty sure I’ll never go back, I honestly think it’s a once in a lifetime experience and it was so hard that I’ve accused it for quite long even if I was prepared! But this was just to be honest with you, don’t be discouraged because I repeat again, nothing it’s more worth it than what you see from the top of the volcano!

Early wake up call for us at day 6. Restored by the sleep we moved to the brekfast area that was superfull of choices, but salty and sweet, a lot of fresh fruits and cooks making fresh pancakes or crepes. Definitely a good way to start the morning! Guide number 3 and a new driver came to take us and our luggages right after breakfast, after more or less 4 hours drive we arrived in Gilimanuk to take the local ferry for Ketapang in Java. Even if the space to cross of the ocean was extrasmall, the ferry was so slow, at least we enjoyed the view!

Like every year I sit here and think about what was this past year. Probably the most successful of my life for many reasons.

First of all I graduated. After some months living abroad and working on an important project in anticancer therapy I came back to Italy, I did last few exams and got my graduation. Best day of my life with my favorite people!

The blog and my instagram business grew a lot, I worked with many brands like Gole, Jay Bravo, Giorgio Armani, Simplicitty and Hashtag Sunglasses. I put all my efforts into it and I saw it growing and growing everyday. I also became part of an agency helping me out finding good contacts, but I still do all my stuff on my own, even if I admit, many times I thought about getting a full time helper since I have a lot of work to do, let’s see if in the new year I will decide for it!

I think I’ve never travelled as much as this year and that makes me so happy cause travelling and discover the world is biggest passion, I’ve always longed for people who does that full time. Where I’ve been? Well, from the beginning of January to end of March I’ve been in France and while there I went several times in Kehl (Germany) and Switzerland. I came back to Italy where during the year I went to Bologna, Ferrara, Milano and Alto Adige different times. But I didn’t stopped there: in May I went to Berlin, in September Qatar, Singapore and Indonesia, in October Indonesia and Qatar again and finally in December again France and Switzerland. Looks like a lot when written right? This created memories I will never forget.

What is gonna happen next year? Of course I don’t know, but professionally I hope I’ll start a PhD in medicinal chemistry, for the blog/instagram many things are planned: I’ll give you a little spoiler: next brand I’m gonna work with is Yves Rocher and for travels well I’ve got a big thing in mind coming in May: USA coast to coast!

Keep coming back here and follow my journey into this world that I’m happy to share with you!

I loved this trip that much that I always feel excited telling you the stories of what happened and sharing the pictures. The title is, as usual, a spoiler. Another day spent in Singapore, cause this city as so much to offer! And another spoiler I gave you before is that we went having breakfast at Starbucks instead of our hotel lobby. I’ve never seen a banana sandwich before so I imagine they do typical stuff here, obviously pared with matcha frappuccino, because when there’s matcha, there’s also my name on it.